Here are some brand new tunes for your earholes. Featuring Aussies only out of pure coincidence, this week is a perfect example of just how strong our musical exports are right now. Take a listen below!
Tré Samuels, Flying Without You
In between jetsetting across the world to feature in fashion shows for some of the biggest names in the business, and possessing one of the best voices to come out of Australia in recent times, it’s safe to say Tré Samuels is a pretty busy 17 year old. Flying Without You is a smoky RnB song where Samuels asserts his independence, recognising fakers and haters and saying he’ll be just fine without them. Taken from his debut record which is out May 27, he’s teamed up with a who’s who cast of Melbourne’s musical elite for his album including Sensible J (House of Beige/Remi), Anthony Liddell (Opiuo/Kimbra), Silentjay (Rhythm Section/Hiatus Kaiyote) and Rachel James (Creamy Spies). Looks like we’ve got ourselves another star in the making!
Canary, Fickle Heart
Melbourne quintet Canary return in style with this latest single, the first cut from their incoming sophomore record, I Am Lion. Dynamic, chaotic, but expertly laid down, Canary really show what they’re made of in Fickle Heart. Self-aware, introspective and reflective, Canary contemplate themselves here and how their brains and hearts work. Looking inwards, as a form of catharsis, they pair their reflections with raucous rock and quiet, gentle pauses, flicking between the two with ease that always sounds good. Described as culminating in “roiling chaos; something recognisable to anyone who’s felt righteous in their bitter self-destruction following a breakup,” Fickle Heart gives us a pretty fantastic preview of what else is to come with I Am Lion, and we can’t wait to hear more.
Native Spirit, Look Around
Starting off with a heartbeat-like thump and some static rain, Melbourne electro pop trio Native Spirit hit the ground running with their latest tune, Look Around. Borrowing elements from frontrunners like Miami Horror, RUFUS, Cut Copy and more, Native Spirit sound like they’ve teleported from 2008 to 2016 with their electro pop sounds, but they’ve picked up a few modern touches on the way. It’s a total earworm, and certainly a go to to warm up any dancefloor as we head into winter. Begging for some remix treatment, Look Around is an impressive release from a rapidly rising trio.
Marcus Whale, Vapour
When releasing his latest single, Marcus Whale also provided a little prelude as to what Vapour is about: “Imagine two convicts, who’ve travelled for a year across the ocean to this place, Australia. Vapour illustrates them magically coming together as bodies of water and disappearing, transcendentally escaping the oppression of the state. There’s also a bit of a clue in there, that they are vapours – a former sea, a kind of union from the past to the present of all queer bodies – that we’re all made of water.” Right. On that note, Vapour is yet another super solid dance track with an experimental edge from one of Australia’s most prolific electronic musicians, and also comes with the announcement that his debut album, titled Inland Sea, will be out for your listening pleasure come June 10. Given his already impressive slew of solo singles, Inland Sea is already shaping up to be a formidable release.
Mallrat, Inside Voices (Prod. Casper Zazz + Tigerilla)
Mallrat is set for big things this year, mark my words. Teaming up once again with best pal/producer Tigerilla as well as Melbourne producers Casper Zazz, the Brisbane emcee has shared another chill af tune this week with Inside Voices. Alongside announcing that her debut EP, Uninvited, is also on the way (out July 1 via Create/Control), Inside Voices is actually my favourite of Mallrat’s work so far. Bouncy beats, sing-songy vocals and a certain self-awareness that hasn’t really been seen before, is this Mallrat growing up? It’s been great to watch her go up until now, but I can’t help but feel that this is a turning point for her to go from ~internet star~ to fully fledged artist. Time will tell!
BANFF x Caitlin Park, My Love, My Lover
Brisbane singer-songwriter BANFF (aka Benjamin Forbes) and Sydney subtronica artist Caitlin Park have teamed up to release their debut collaborative single, My Love, My Lover. Sounding like the likes of The War On Drugs, the driving drums and easy-going guitar strums making for a beautiful tune only amplified by both artists’ incredible songwriting abilities. The duet is a quaint, relaxed song that still encompasses some of the excitement that is met when you are falling for someone. It’s gentle but captivating, and it’s power is in its delicacy. Here’s hoping we hear more from these two together!
Swick, Ticketz (Ft. Spank Rock)
Melbourne producer Swick released his latest EP, Stamina, just today, and it’s already landed itself on high rotation in my listening schedule. The five tracks are huge, showing once again that Swick isn’t messing around. Personal favourite, Ticketz, features none other than Spank Rock on vocals for added steez, and the big room bass and tinkering percussion provide a writhing bed which Spank Rock makes his own. Released via his good friend Nina Las Vegas’ label, NLV Records, Swick has a one way ticket to the top and this EP is just another example of just how good he really is.
Cub Sport, Come On Mess Me Up
Brisbane darlings Cub Sport shared another shining cut from their latest album, This Is Our Vice this week, as well as announcing their first headline tour in THREE YEARS! Come On Mess Me Up was one of the standout tracks on their latest record (read our review here), so it’s awesome to see it released as a single. Paired with a simple, yet beautiful, video of lead singer Tim Nelson singing in black and white with some fantastic visual effects, its simplicity amplifies the shimmering vulnerability and intimacy to take it up more than a few levels. You can see the clip here, and check out their tour dates here. Welcome back Cub Sport – we missed you!
Bree Tranter, Tuesday Fresh Cuts
You may recognise her voice from the glory days of The Middle East or even her work in Matt Corby’s band, but it’s time to make way for Bree Tranter as a solo artist – and a formidable one at that. Singing over splashy cymbals, smooth sax and delicate drums, Tranter’s heavenly voice soars as she sings about her honey having the blues in this latest single, Tuesday Fresh Cuts. Coming alongside the news that her debut album is finally on it’s way and will be out in the world June 24, something tells me we haven’t even seen half of what Tranter can do yet, and this album (titled Another Night On Earth) is going to show us! Watch the video here.
There is a lot of music around, so it’s okay that you might get a little overwhelmed. Each and every week, artists bring their A game with brand new singles, and we have taken it upon ourselves to select ten of the best to treat you, because you’re good to us. This week is pretty electronica heavy, but the tracks are so good even the strongest of sceptics will be boogying in no time. Have a good weekend!
Sofi De La Torre – 19 in Mexico
Sofi De La Torre has continued her steady but rapid rise to international fame and fortune this week, with another new single in the form of 19 In Mexico. It’s got attitude, a good beat and just enough sultry vibes to reel you in. She is just one week out from releasing her Mess EP, and if her slew of tracks that have trickled out over the past few months isn’t enough to make you excited for that, 19 In Mexico should definitely do the trick!
Sonia Stein – Baggage
Sonia Stein wins the award for “Best Voice” this week. Just have a listen to this track. Soulful, rich, deep and perfectly suited to the bouncy, bassy beats she’s singing over, her range and abilities are on full display here with Baggage. Fierce and fiery, she is putting her foot down here and having absolutely none of your shit. Giving a whole new meaning to electro-RnB, Stein makes it almost sound easy to pull off a song like this, and quite frankly, we can’t get enough.
DiamondDahi – NMDB (ft. Little Simz)
DiamondDahi is a brand new collaborative project from bloodpop (formerly known as Blood Diamonds) and DJ Dahi, who have collectively produced for Big Sean, Lupe Fiasco, Tinashe, Madonna and Grimes, with bloodpop even writing a whopping six tracks on Justin Bieber‘s newly released Purpose. So it’s safe to say that this is really, really well-produced song. N.M.B.D or No More Blood Diamonds, features UK rapper Little Simz, who is probably my favourite rapper to have emerged in 2015. For such a young artist, her flow is so on point, and makes for the perfect top line above the swooping synths and smooth percussion. This is a really, really cool track. I’m looking forward to hearing a lot more from DiamondDahi!
Alice Ivy – Walk on (ft. Indigo Fly)
Melbourne’s Alice Ivy has returned with a wonderful new track, Walk On, featuring rappers Indigo Fly. The smooth electro-soul and hip-hop blend is seriously smooth and so catchy, with intricate brass and scratch-infused instrumentation and a rhythm that you can’t help but bop your ahead along to. I absolutely love that more and more music like this is coming out of Australia. Indigo Fly (Eloji and Branford) steal the show with their wicked, on-point flow – again, an indication that the local landscape is not only changing, but growing up.
Owen Rabbit – Denny’s
This isn’t the typical music that I’m into, but Owen caught my attention with Holy Holy back in August, and I LOVE his latest, Denny’s. A weird and wonderful blend of organic and electronic sounds, the soundscape has been pieced together, growing in intensity, layer by layer, with each sound fitting precisely in with the next. The artist has spoken about how the track was influenced by his experiences with depression and anxiety – and it makes for an absolutely powerful track, emotionally as well as musically.
Cubenx – A Sheltering Sky
This is a bit of a left-field entry, but it’s expansive, psychedelic and utterly electric, filled with all kinds of mysterious intrigue and allure. The track’s Soundcloud description includes the following quote, and instead of reviewing it any more, I recommend you have a think about it while you listen: “We’re not tourists, we’re travellers: tourists are someone who thinks about going home on the moment they arrive, whereas a traveler might not come back at all.” This is a STUNNING release from the Mexican producer, aka Cesar Urbina. It features on the just-released 11-track LP Elegiac, which you can and should listen to right here.
Swick – R6 Wheel (dub)
Swick is one of my favourite producers in Australia. I like to think of him as a King Midas of sorts, except whatever he touches turns into a banger instead of gold (aural gold, maybe). R6 Wheel (demo) is no exception. It’s HUGE. Long term friend and collaborator with none other than Nina Las Vegas, this track comes as his “sampler” in a month long series released by Nina’s label NLV Records to showcase the label’s signings. I mean, there are debut tracks, and then there’s this. We cannot possibly get enough of Swick, or anyone on NLV Records for that matter, so here’s hoping this is an indication that even more new music is on the way!
Lower Spectrum, Proxima
This song immediately stopped me in my tracks. The track begins slowly, with deep, drawn-out notes of all kinds of tone and thickness, coming together to shape one hell of a musical landscape. Once the rhythm kicks in, there’s this ominous, suspenseful drive, before giving way to a delicate melodic section with vocal samples and more. The sections all then fuse together, eventually creating an hazy atmosphere filled with shuffling rhythms, a catchy hook and a beat that’s ready for a late-night dance-floor. This is the lead single on Lower Spectrum’s upcoming EP New Haze, set for a 2016 release via Pilerats.
Clubfeet, We Are Affected
Clubfeet have returned! That’s right. They kind of left fans hanging a little since their 2013 Heirs & Graces LP, so this week we are imagining more than a few Clubfeet faithful would have been pleasantly surprised indeed to see the band finally release a new song. Was the wait worth it, though? Absolutely. This slow jam is a sparkling slice of emotive electro pop, and will have you side stepping in no time. It’s groovy, funky, a little disco and mellow-but-not-too-mellow – all the things that make Clubfeet so great. Welcome back guys, we missed you!
XXYYXX, Red
Any day that includes new music from XXYYXX is a good day in our books, so this week was pretty great indeed. Responsible for some of 2013’s best songs, Red is the first release from the young but prolific producer in quite some time – and it does not disappoint. Big, shifting beats fill the space whilst muffled vocal samples are chopped and changed and scattered throughout. Synths whir, the bassline pounds, the groove makes you sway, and the drop is enough to bring you to your knees. We’re not too sure where he’s been, but we sure as hell are glad XXYYXX is back.